Charlton To Pinnacle Hill

So we set off this morning at 9.00 from the bridge by The Three Moorhens, I met up with Soapy (Simon) but we did not park there as they have some weird private parking notices and sixty pound fines, so we parked the other side of the bridge and headed through the trees to the top of Hitchin Hill and the view over the fields for miles.

We headed west in the direction of Kennel Farm and turned left on to the Charlton Road and walked through the village past The Windmill Public House, Bessmer’s house on the right and the newly converted barns and then turned right up Windmill Lane where you pass Windmill Cottage on the right which has the base of the old windmill at the bottom of the garden.

The track opens up and we walked some time until we came to a cross roads of the path and turned left on to Hoars Lane and followed that on to Temple End and straight over the cross roads on towards Offleyholes Farm but as we came to the road we took the footpath to the right up Pinnacle Hill. We then followed the path which runs to the east side of West Wood.

We then turned left heading to Sootfield Green and crossing the road there we took Tatmorehills Lane. This is long well-made track surrounded by trees and hedgerow to both side where pheasants would run across our path and hares were running on the field horizon. We followed this down to Maydencroft Lane and across again heading along the line of the ridge and this is where we met Leopold Maydencroft who is a seven month old long horn bull who was being trained by a lovely elder gentleman farmer who was preparing the bullock for the agricultural shows in the spring. He told us this path (Tatmorehills Lane) was the old main path to St Albans and around this spot a poacher had been hung many years ago for stealing sheep.

The Dogs were not keen on the Bullock and Diesel especially was barking at the already huge beast not a good thing to do I thought but the farmer said it was good for Leopold to get used to sounds and life which is why he took him down this track.

We returned back along the path to Hitchin Hill and back to the car. A very rewarding walk which took around two and a half hours. We are now planning to a shorter version around Charlton on Boxing day morning ending with a beer in The Windmill, Which anyone is welcome to join us on and blow away a few of the cobwebs from Christmas

Autumn morning

With mist over the green field, the hawthorn turning yellow and the sky light blue with rippled clouds scorched orange on the underside it is 6.41 on Friday morning and it feels like autumn.
I am out as usual walking Dylan my black lab, he meanders around the path sniffing looking for scents to follow. We do not see many walkers at this time of day. The tall grass is wet up-to my thigh but it is clear and fresh this morning a fabulous time of day to be out.

Christy Moore

Listening to Smoke & Strong Whiskey by the man Christy Moore and especially the song Aisling which he co-wrote with Shane McGowan who in fact we are going to see in October playing with Jools Holland. I am playing the album on an old album on a turntable just like in then old days and the album is so scratched it crackles and pops along with the music adding that little flavour that you miss with itunes.

The puppy

Well in a moment of madness we decided to get a second dog, we have two cats, two rabbits so it made sense and despite being labelled Noah by Sue in Spain we pressed ahead and started looking for a puppy.
A few Internet searches later and we discovered that in Norfolk they are breeding like rabbits, but a two hour drive just to have a look seemed a bit extreme. We eventually found a litter in Royston not far from Hitchin and Regina and I went over to see them. They were seven weeks old, nine black Labrador puppies everyone just goes soppy at the site of them. They came rushing over as soon as we arrived and very quickly we were sold on one of the two biggest ones, they were call chubb and diesel. Chubb seemed a bit of a bully knocking midge and the other smaller ones out if the way. Diesel seemed calmer and very friendly. So that was it we reserved diesel and arranged to come back with the girls the following Tuesday and collect him the week after. Well we then got message saying they had been given the all clear to let them go so we were going to be able to pick them up on Tuesday. My daughter Amy knew nothing of this so Davina and I picked her up after school getting soaked by a sudden down pour in the process and then we picked up Rachel and her boyfriend Sam, collected Regina from work and with a car full headed over to Royston. Amy's face was a picture, puppies she screamed, Regina asked her why she thought we were here and then she realised we were getting another dog. Well everybody fawned over the cute little hounds and when mother dog Martha came out they all went wild, diesel went over for one last time to see her. We collected the pedigree and paid the remainder of the money and we were taking diesel home. The name by the way came from the breeders daughter and in the absence of anything better diesel it is.